Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is taking a job as a medial helicopter pilot, working around his royal duties and donating his salary to charity.
The duke, whose love of flying is well-known, plans to join the East Anglian
air ambulance service at the Cambridge airport in spring 2015, The Guardian reported. He will be training for the position over the next few months, taking a civilian pilot class and emergency response training.
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Prince William will sign an employment contract and the Guardian said he "is believed to be the first member of the royal family in direct succession to do so."
"We're very fortunate that we currently enjoy tremendous levels of support, but fundraising is always a challenge — we're looking to raise £7.5m a year to continue the lifesaving work — and I'm sure that this will help to raise the profile of the charity. We're looking forward to him being part of the team," Patrick Peal, chief executive of the air ambulance service, told the Guardian.
Alastair Wilson, the EAAA's medical director, said he felt the duke was well-suited to the role. "Compared to his role as a search and rescue pilot, he may be dealing with more injury patients than he is used to, but I'm sure he will adapt very well to that," he told the Guardian.
In analyzing Prince William's decision to take on this new role for the next two years, the BBC said, “This career choice — away from the tried and tested royal path of unveiling plaques and planting trees — is a reminder that William is, in the words of one official, ‘two heartbeats away from the throne.’ Being heir-but-one gives him the freedom that Prince Charles never enjoyed.”
A spokesman for the royal family told the BBC that William "sees this as a true form of public service, helping people in their most difficult times."
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